Various devices have heretofore been utilized in rotaby balers for severing twine after the twine has been wrapped around a bale along the length thereof just prior to ejecting the bale from the baler. Some of the severing mechanisms have included stationary devices presenting a sharp edge across which twine is drawn for severing of the twine as it is brought into contact with the sharp edge. A severing mechanism comprising a sharp edge must be mounted close to one sidewall of the baler so that the twine is severed when it is proximal the sidewall because an adequately wrapped around bale of hay advantageously includes twine wrapped around the longitudinal axis of the bale, and the longitudinal axis of the bale extends generally between the two sidewalls of a round baler. For the same reason, the twine dispenser must have a dispensing end that swings from a standby position proximal to one sidewall and a shifted position proximal to the opposite sidewall. Moreover, the dispensing end of the dispenser, when in the shifted position, must be close enough to the bale within the baling chamber that the tag end of the twine emerging from the dispenser will be caught up by the material forming the bale, thereby allowing the twine to be wrapped around the bale. As will be appreciated, the location of the dispensing end of the dispenser when in the standby position must be spaced apart from the sharp edge of the severing mechanism such that a tag end of sufficient length will be left whenever the twine is cut.
Round balers having wrapping twine cutters have in the past accommodated the above-mentioned requirements for location of the severing means, location of the dispensing end in a standby position relative to the severing means, and location of the dispensing means relative to the bale, in various manners. For instance, it has been known to provide twine dispenser with telescoping tubes such that the dispensing end of the dispenser tube can be extended so as to reach the bale within the baling chamber, and can be retracted so that when the dispensing tube is in the standby position the dispensing end is spaced apart a sufficient length from the severing mechanism to provide a tag end of adequate length. As will be appreciated, the requirement for a telescoping tube adds to the expense of twine dispensers, and the addition of moving parts cuts down on the reliability and durability of the dispenser.
A twine dispensing apparatus which would apply twine along the entire axial length of a round bale, and would include a dispensing end shiftable from a standby position that is spaced apart an adequate distance from a twine severing means, to a shifted position in close proximity to the bale within the baling chamber without the need for a telescopic tube, would be a decided advantage.